Holder for strip material



A ril 7, 1959 E. E. SHELBY HOLDER FOR STRIP MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Jan. 24, 1958 I vinyl/111111111? INVENTOR Eunz'beES/ZeliryATTORNEY Apnl 7, 1959 E. E. SHELBY 2,880,442

HOLDER FOR STRIP MATERIAL Filed Jan. 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "2 25 3232 I //6 .2 26 '26 m l as 28 072/ R. 7

/7 2a /9 INVENTOR 5' un z'ceE.5'heZZ-y W "%%RNEY United States PatentHOLDER FOR STRIP MATERIAL Eunice E. Shelby, Scotts Hill, Tenn.

Application January 24, 1958, Serial No. 710,978 4 Claims. c1. 1s-231This invention relates to a novel holder for flexible strip materialused to wipe, scrape or apply a substance to a surface to be treated,and has for its primary object to provide a holder having means manuallyoperable for moving diflferent portions ofthe flexible strip into anexposed position for use to replace another worn or soiled. part of thestrip.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder having novelmeans for supporting a flexible strip and formovement of the stripacross an exterior part of the holder for positioning successive partsof the strip in an exposed position for use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder and feeder forstrip material having novel means for maintaining an exposed part of thestrip taut while in an operative position for use.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view looking toward the surface engaging side of theimplement;

Figure 2 'is a side elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view looking toward one end of theimplement, from right to left of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4.5 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view, taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along aplane as indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane asindicated by the line 7-7 of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a plan view, partly in section of one element of theimplement;

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 9-9 of Figure 5;

Figure 10 is an enlarged detailed cross sectional view, takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 1010 of Figure 5;

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of one part of theimplement, and

Figure 12 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view takensubstantially along a plane as indicated by the line 12-12 of Figure 4.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the holder for stripmaterial in its entirety is designated generally 12 and includes anelongated strip 13 of a flexible material a part of which is supportedin an exposed position and the remainder of which is contained withinthe holder. The strip 13 may be cloth and may be saturated with oil orother substance, in which case the holder may "ice form a cleaner andapplicator such as a blackboard eraser or may constitute the head of anoil mop; or the strip 13 may be sandpaper or other abrading substance,in which case the holder portion constitutes a block for supporting thesandpaper.

The holder 12 includes a box shaped structure 14 which is elongated andwhich has side walls 15 and 16, a bottom 17 and end walls 18 and 19. Anelongated channel shaped member 20 of a resilient material such asspring metal is secured as by suitable fastenings 21 to the inner sideof the bottom 17 and extends substantially from end-to-end thereof andis disposed approximately midway between the side walls 15 and 16. Thechannel member 20 has spaced upwardly extending spring legs 22 which arenormally spring biased outwardly relative to one another toward theirupper edges.

The end walls 18 and 19 are each provided with an inverted T-shaped slot23 the vertical leg of which opens outwardly of the upper edge of saidwall. The walls 18 and 19 are each provided with an outwardly bulgedportion which is preferably formed integral with the wall and whichoverlies the slot 23 thereof and which is connected at its bottom andends only to the wall, as seen in Figures 4 and 5. The outwardly bulgedportion 18' of the wall 18 may be solid while the outwardly bulgedportion 19' of the wall 19 is provided with openings 24 which align withthe ends of the horizontal portion of the slot 23 of the wall 19, asseen in Figure 5.

The holder 12 includes two corresponding spindles 25 and 26 each ofwhich is of a length slightly less than the spacing between the endwalls 18 and 19. The spindles 25 and 26 are noncircular in crosssection, as seen in Figure 6, and sleeves 27 and 28, having noncircularbores snugly engaging the spindles 24 and 26, respectively, are slidablybut nonrotatably mounted thereon. Each spindle 25and 26 has a restrictedstem 29 projecting from one end thereof. The stem 29 of the spindle 25preferably terminates in a head 30 and the stem 29 of the spindle 26preferably terminates in a small ratchet wheel 39, as best seen inFigure 12. The opposite end of each spindle is-provided with a threadedstem 31. The stems 29 and 31 are disposed beyond the ends of the sleeves27 and 28. I As seen in Figures 2 and 6, the side walls.15 and 16 areprovided with slots 32 extending substantially from end-to-end thereof,which are disposed above the bottom portion of the slots 23 and beneathand spaced from the upper edges of said walls 15 and 16.

The elongated flexible strip 13 is wound on the sleeve 27 which is inturn mounted on the spindle 25, after which the spring legs 22 aresprung toward the side wall 15 to clear the vertical portions of theslots 23, so that the stems 29 and 31 may be inserted downwardly throughsaid vertical slot portions 23 and thence along the horizontal bottomslot portions toward the side wall 16, as seen in Figures 5 and 6. Theouter end of the strip 13 is then extended outwardly from the top of theroll through the slot 32 of the wall 16. With the spring legs 22 flexedagainst the roll strip 13, the other spindle 26 containing the sleeve 28is inserted downwardly through the slots 23 and laterally along thelower portions of said slots toward the wall 15. The free end of thestrip 13 after passing loosely over the open top of the box structure 14is inserted inwardly through the slot 32 of the wall 15 and around theinner side of the sleeve 28. Said sleeve 28 contains prongs 33, as bestseen in Figures 10 and 11, for detachably anchoring the free end of thestrip 13 to the sleeve 28.

As seen in Figures 4 and 5, the stems 29 engage the slot 23 of the wall18 and the head 30 and ratchet wheel 39 are disposed between the slottedportion of said wall and its outer portion 18'. The threaded stems 31engage the slot 23 of the wall 19 and the outer ends thereof terminateinwardly with respect to the wall portion 19. Said threaded stems 31 aremaintained in alignment with the openings 24 by the spring legs 22, asseen in Figure 6, and said spring legs are disposed between the spindles25 and 26 and bear against the outer convolutions of the ends of thestrip 13 which are wound on the sleeves 27 and 28.

The part of the strip 13 passing over the open top of the box structure14 is left slack so that the flanged cover 34 of the holder 12 can beinserted between said open top of the box structure and the portion ofthe strip 13 disposed thereabove. The cover 34 is sized to snugly engageover and close the open top of the box structure 14, as seen in Figures4 and 6, and is provided on its outer side with a relatively thick pad35 over which the exposed part of the strip 13 extends. A key 36, asseen in Figure 8, has a socket 37 provided with a left-hand thread whichis inserted inwardly through the opening 24 which aligns with thespindle 26 so that thekey can be threadedly con nected to the stem 31 ofsaid'spindle 26 for turning said spindle and the sleeve 28 in aclockwise direction, as seen in Figure 6, for winding the free end ofthe strip 13 thereon to tension said strip across the pad 35. The key 36can then be removed by rotating it in the opposite direction. A springpawl 40, as best seen in Figure 12, is supported by the wall 18, betweensaid wall and the bulged portion 18', and has a free end engaging theteeth of the ratchet wheel 39 to permit said ratchet wheel and thespindle 26 to be rotated only in a direction for winding the strip 13 onthe sleeve 28, and to prevent the spindle from turning in the oppositedirection when the key is unscrewed from the stem end 31 of the spindle26.

Washers 38 may be mounted on the stems 29 and 31 to engage between theends of the spindles 25 and 26 and their sleeves 27 and 28 and the endwalls 18 and 19.

If the holder 12 and strip 13 constitute an oil eraser for blackboardsor an oil mop head, the pad 35 will preferably be relatively soft. Ifthe holder 12 and strip 13 constitute a hand sander the pad 35 may berelatively hard.

After the portion of the strip 13, which is disposed over the pad 35,has become soiled, worn or otherwise unusable, the key 36 is re-engagedwith the stem 31 of the spindle 26 for turning said spindle and thesleeve 28 to wind the strip 13 thereon and to exert a pull on theportion of the strip extending through the slot 32 of the Wall 16 forturning the spindle'24 and sleeve 27 for unwinding the strip 13therefrom. It will be obvious that the spring legs 22 will readjustthemselves to the changes in diameter of the wound ends of the strip 13for maintaining proper tension on both of said wound ends.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resortedto, without departing from the function or scope of the invention ashereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A holder for strip material comprising an elongated open top boxhaving end walls each provided with an inverted T-shaped slot, saidslots opening outwardly of upper edges of said end walls, spindleshaving stem portions projecting from the ends thereof, said stemportions being journaled in transversely spaced closed ends of saidslots for rotatably mounting the spindles within said box in spacedapart substantially parallel relation to one another, sleevesnonrotatably mounted on said spindles, a flexible strip having endportions connected to and wound on said sleeves, said box having sidewalls provided with slots through which portions of said flexible stripextend and are movable, a flanged cover detachably mounted on andclosing the open top of said box, and said strip having an exposedportion extending transversely across and supported by said cover.

2. A holder for strip material as in claim 1, said cover including a paddisposed on the outerside thereof and on which said last mentionedportion of the strip bears.

3. A holder for strip material as in claim 1, an elongated spring memberdisposed between said sleeves and extending longitudinally of the box,said box having a bottom to which a part of the spring is anchored, saidspring having upwardly diverging legs yieldably bearing against thewound end portions of the strip and occupying the space of the boxdisposed between said wound end portions.

4. A holder for strip material as in claim 3, said spring legsmaintaining the spindle stems yieldably in engagement with said closedends of said slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSSwitzerland Feb. 16, 1937

